Tolkien tale redone

April 22, 2007|TISH WELLS McClatchy Newspapers

Distilled from the many versions written by J.R.R. Tolkien, his son and literary executor, Christopher Tolkien, has produced "The Children of Hurin," a new version of one of Middle-earth's three "Great Tales" -- the destruction of the house of Hurin. It is a story of a powerful curse, pride, despair, betrayal, incest, elves, dwarves, magic swords and an evil dragon. Greatly simplified, the action takes place thousands of years before "The Lord of the Rings." The great evil Morgoth (whose henchling, Sauron, becomes the Lord in the "Rings" trilogy) is trying to control the world. After numerous smaller battles, humans and elves unite to battle Morgoth, lose, and their leaders are scattered "as leaves before the wind." One of the human leaders, Hurin, is captured. He is dragged to Morgoth's dungeon and tortured so Morgoth can find a secret hideout of the Elves. Hurin refuses to talk. Morgoth curses him and his family -- wife, Morwen, pregnant with daughter, Niemor, and a 9-year-old son named Turin -- with doom. The curse plays out over decades, causing death and destruction along the way. Professor J.R.R. Tolkien, who taught Anglo-Saxon language at Oxford University, created his own languages and, over decades, built a vast historical backdrop for his mythical world of Middle-earth. Christopher Tolkien provides invaluable background articles, including a prehistory for "The Children of Hurin." Several genealogies, a pronunciation guide, hand-drawn maps and an index of names are included. Noted artist Alan Lee provides color plates and line drawings. Most important, Tolkien explains why, after decades, he's produced a new, longer version different from what has been previously published. He aimed to provide a completed tale for "Ring" aficionados who wonder about mentions of Hurin and Turin in "The Lord of the Rings." In the end, though, he's managed to write a book that even casual readers of Middle-earth can enjoy.